Multiple-socket receptacle strip



Jan. 22 1924.

F. w. WOOD MULTIPLE SOCKET RECEPTACLE STRIP Filed Dec. 23 1919 A E m E l146007. 351 2 flVCou um d.

' abl connectiim extension Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,481,278 PATENT oFFi-cE.

FRANK W. WOOD, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW J ASSIGNOR TO CHAS. CORY & SO11, IN-

COBPOBATED, OF NEW YORK, I. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

xumrrnnsocxn'r :Application filed December To all whom it may concern Beit known that l, FRANK W. Woon, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple-SocketReceptacle Strips, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in eneral to electrical switches, and especially toa multiple socket receptacle strip employed for detachcircuits to a maincircuit. Strips of this nature are generally employed where a temporarylighting systom of some extent is desired, as in building operations,and they have been found es ecially useful in connection with shipbuiing. Consequently, it is necessary that they be both strong inconstruction and arranged to afford complete protection to theconductors under severe service conditions where they may be exposed tothe weather, to chance blows and to constant danger of shortcircuitingfrom exposed metal parts of the structure being erected.

Suchstrips,ascommonly usedincon'neetion with shipbuilding, include apair of parallel rods or bus bars insulated and held in position byclamping them between blocks, usually of wood grooved to accommodate thebars, extending on opposite sides of the bars substantially throughouttheir length, the blocks being fastened together as by screws to holdthe bars in place. The bus bars are spaced. apart approximately the samedistance as the split terminals of standard switch plugs; and by boringspaced pairs of adjacent holes through one of the insulating blocks andpartly or entirely through the bus bars, a series of plug sockets isproduced in which split terminal plugs may be detachably seated toconnect extension circuits at will. These strips have ordinarily beenmade up by the workmen when needed but this is of course undesirablebecause 0 the tim required and the imperfect-ions the strips when somade. Even when mil-nu factured under the best conditions, multiplesocket strips constructed in this general way; are open to severalserious ob ect1ons. For.

one thing. considerable time and labor is quired in producing athoroughly eil'cctive and safe strip, as the bars must be fitted inplace with considerable care. If the bars are loose, they are likely toturn and slip,

RECEPTACLE STRIP.

23', 1919. Serial no. 346,894.

thus rendering the sockets useless; while if the grooves in which thebars are seated are t o small the blocks will not meet and are likely tosplit if drawntogether tootightly. Furthermore, when the blocks do notmeet, a space is formed between the bus bars in which moisture maycollect, incurring the risk of a short-circuit. Consequently, the barsmust fit accurately in the strip grooves, necessitating a, considerableexpense for labor in the production thereof. Another objection, when theblocks are made of wood as is customary, to warp. When this occurs, aspace is practically always certain to be open between the bus bars inwhich moisture may collect, with resultant danger from a short-circuit.These considerations are particularly important when the strips are tobe used in exposed places where they may be subjected to the directaction of mist and rain, the present strips being unsuited for use inmany such places.

A further difliculty with this type of strip is the manipulation of theconnection between the bus bars and the main circuit wires. Thisconnection is ordinarily made at one end ofthe strip. for the sake ofconvenience; and the actual points of connection, if immediatelyadjacent the end of the protecting blocks, are so xposed that great isthe tendency of the wood care must be exercised to prevent the contactof a metal conductor with both points simultaneously. On the other hand,if the points of connection are spaced inwardly from the end of theblocks to permit the latter to protect said points-considerable inconvenience is entailed in making and breaking the connections, as theyare not accessible from the outside of the strip without un'- screwingthe blocks. Y

The object of my invention is to produce ajstrip adapted to be used inexposed places which will be reliable under the most severe serviceconditions, more durablev than the presenttwo-block type, and whichprovides {1 complete insulation for the bus bars and iconnsections atall times. I accomplish this object primarily by molding the strip inunitary form. My invention in particular includes an arrangement ofparts permitting the quick, cheap and easy manufacture of the strip inthis way, eliminating the largest part oflabor cost in manufacturi thestrips and insuring complete insulation of the bus bars from each-otherat all times.

from the mold. Furthermore, in the preferred form of my invention, nomanipulation of mold arts whatever is necessary in removing t e formedstrip except the usual separation of the halves of the mold.

In actual service it is desirable to place these strips in variousout-of-the-way places, the. position of the strip depending upon localconditions. Consequently the strip should be so constructed that itcan-either be laid flat with its sockets uppermost, or

hung up by one end. To accomplish this object, it is necessary toprovide one end of the strip with suspending means, ordinarily made ofwire and preferably in the form of a hook, whereby the strip may be hungfrom a. wire, rod, nail or other elevated support. It will be apparentthat the metal suspending element must engage the strip firmly enough tosustain considerable weight where several plugs with depending wires arein the sockets, and at the same time must be thoroughly and carefullyinsulated-from the bus bars. I have provided a construction in which ametal supporting element may either be molded in the strip or the stripmay be so formed that the supporting element may be inserted thereinwhen needed, the construction being such that the supporting element iscompletely insulatcd.from the conductors. Furthermore, when thesupporting element is in place, the strip may be placed in horizontallposition upon a support without diilicu t I have also provided means forreadily connecting and. disconnecting the main circuit wires and theends of the bus bars adjacent said supporting element, said connectionbeing operable directly without disturbing the strip and at the sametimebeing spaced from the end of the strip to insure perfect insulation.Furthermore, I have provided a channel from which the main circuit Wiresmay be led laterally from the connecting points without projectingbeyond the end of the strip adjacent the supporting element. This isespecially useful where said element is to .be hung over a rod, pipe onsimilar rigid metal support, as a chance upward blow on the strip wouldforce the upper end thereof strongly against said support, and'would bevery likely to force said support against the main circuit wires andproduce a shortrcircuit. This,

of course, would be avoided b having such connections at the opposite enof the strip;

but it is desirable to locate them adjacent the supporting element, asthe main circuit wires may then be run along said support, which isordinarily at some distance from the hem, keeping said wires out of theway of the passers-by. It will be noted that both ends of the bus barsare insulated, one end being completely enclosed, the other protected bythe extension of the insulation far enough beyond its end to preventsimultaneous contact with both bus bars by accident.

It will also be apparent that my specific construction is pecuharlyadapted for rapid and efficient molding; and a substantial part of myinvention involves the production of such a construction and the .em-

ployment of standard and simple features idly molded.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyng drawings,in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the strip, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionthrough one of the bus bars, showing the plug in elevation engaging oneof the sockets, Fig. 3 is a transverse section through" a form of plugwhich may be employed, and I Fig.4 is a transverse section on line 4-4of Fig. 1. r

A The strip includes oneor more bus bars 11, of any desired form,extending substantially'throughout the length of the strip.

Bus bars 11 are parallel and spaced apart.

their centers being preferably spaced by a distance equal to thatbetween the splitterminals of standard plugs. The bus bars 11 are'imbedded in a homogeneous, integral casing strip 12, formed of anysuitable nonconducting material adapted to be molded,

various materials of this kind being well known in the art and in commonuse for making electrical devices. A series of spaced pairs of adjacentsocket holes 13 extend from one surface of the strip through the casingmaterial 12 and bus bars 11, each pair of socket holes 13 definingsockets for the reception of the terminals of a plug, the

holes being so located in the bus bars that m such a way that the wholemay be rapsuflicient metal is left adjacent the holes to provide asuitable conductor for the current past the holes.

As shown, the casing 12 extends completely across the lower end of eachbus bar- 11, providing complete insulation for said end. The oppositeend of each bus bar ,11 terminates short of the end of the casing 12.whichis provided with a recess or channel 14 extending outwardly fromsaid end of the bus barto the outside of said casing. Said recess orchannel 14 may be varied m shape, being adapted to accommodate the endof a maln circuit wire 15 held in contact with the bus bar. Formaintaining this connection, I preferably provide a terminal socket 16in the end of each bus bar 11, into which the end of the lead wire maybe inserted, where it is held in any desired way, as by a set screw 17threaded through a tapped opening in the side of the bus bar 11 at thesocket 16 and manipulated through a lateral opening or well 18 in thecasin r 12. It will be noted that the parts are pref erably soproportioned that the head of each screw 17 is a considerable distancebelow the surface of the casing 12, preventing chance contact with theadjacent terminal screw. It will also be apparent that, while theinsula'tion of the lead wire 15 must necessarily be stripped from theend thereof to permit proper contact with the bus bar, channel or recess14 is of sufficient depth so that wire recess 14 being sufficientlylarge to accommodate the raw end of the insulatin'g material.

I have also disclosed a suitable supporting member 19 mounted on thestrip adjacent the bus bar terminals. In the form illustrated', this iscomposed of a wire having a hooked upper end 20, and a hooked lower end21 passing through and engaging the strip, the intermediate part of thewire being 'imbedded in the surface of the strip and preferably lyingflush therewith, the lower end of the wire being given a return bend 22flush with the surface of the strip, if desired. It will be evident thatwith this construction,

the strip may either be laid flat upon the side opposite the socketopenings 13 or it may be suspended by Y shaped in any preferredwayaccording to the nature of the supports which will be en aged thereby..1

n the specific construction disclosed, it will readily be understoodthat supporting means 19 may either be fixed in position durin'gmolding.or a suitable socket therefor may be provided during molding and thesupport placedtherein when andif needed. When the latter method isemployed, the strip is preferably formed with suitably shapeddepressions during molding, the form illustrated including a pair ofopposite grooves 23 connected by a transverse bore 24., the constructionbeing such that a wire may readily be passed through the bore 24 and itsends bent up to form the return bend 22 and book 20, the intermediateparts of the wire lying flush with or below the surface of the strip. p

The simplicity and effectiveness of the construction and arrangement ofparts as described will be apparent; but one of its main advantages liesin the facility with hook 20, which may be which it may be rapidly andefiectively molded, this condition requiring a carefully plannedarrangement not necessary when the I stri is produced in other wa s.

urthermore, all of the s aping operations on the bus bars, which in thespecific form shown include drilling and tapping, may be performed priorto the molding process. This is highly desirable, as any such operationsperformed after molding would be likely to loosen the bars in thecasing.

However, careful provision must be made for preventing the entry of theplastic covering or insulating material into the various sockets ordepressions, and it is highly desirable that such preventing means bemounted rigidly within the mold so that little or no manipulation isrequired before removing the strip, the arrangement preferably beingsuch that an ordinary two-part mold may be used.

It will be evident that the construction disclosed meets all of theserequirements, as the bus bars may be positioned in the mold upon pinsprojecting from the bottom thereof, a similar pin resting against thetapped hole through which screw 17 pames. The

channels 14 may be produced by lugs pro jecting inwardly from the end 0the mold and slidable outwardly therethrough after molding to permit thewithdrawal of the strip, the form of plugs used being deter bars in themold upon the proper pins and flanges will both close the apertures inthe bus bars and at the same time provide suit- .able recesses in themold casing; while after molding the stri may be removed directly fromthe mold without difficulty. The mold construction for molding channels23 and bore 24, or for molding with support 19 in place, is obvious.

I have disclosed in Fig. 3 a suitably formed plug adapted to be usedinconuection with my multiple socket receptacle, said Dlug including atwo part body 26 of insulating material, the halves of which aredetachably connected, as by bolts 27. Suitably positioned between thehalves of body 26 are conducting rods 28, provided with split terminals29 projecting beyond the body 26, and at their opposite ends havingsuitable terminal sockets 30 adapted to hold the ends of the auxiliarycircuit wires 31 in any desired way, as by set screws 32. If desired,one of the conductor rods 28 may be made in two parts connected by afuse 33 frictionally engaging sockets in the ends' of said parts. Theplug may further be provided with a suitable looped supporting element34.

It will be apparent that I have devised a multiple socket receptaclestrip which combines the three primary requisites of strength anddurability, thorough and last ing protection against short-circuits, andcheapncss of product'r on. The strip is, turthermore, adapted to be usedin a great variety of locations and under differing conditions, beingresistant to varying conditions of temperature and hum1d1ty, and to theroughest usage, without losing its effectiveform of my invention, itwill be apparent that certain changes may be made in the details thereofwithout departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in thisspecification.

ill

I claim:

1. A multiple socket receptacle strip, including a plurality of parallelbus bars having relatively spaced sockets therein, an integral casing ofmolded around the bus bars and completely enveloping the same at oneend, the said casing having socket holes in one side face extendinginwardy into registration with the respective bus bar sockets, the busbars being terminated short of both casing ends, the casing beingprovided at the end opposite to that at which the busbar ends arecompletely enveloped with lateral recesses contoured for the receptionof the main or feed wires, the said recesses extending from the adjacentbus bar ends ,to the face in which the socket holes arelocated, theeasing having lateral openings extending from the said bus bar ends .tothe said face of the casingandterminal connectors for the last mentionedends of the bus bars contained within the lateral openings of thecaslng.

2. A multiple socket receptacle strip including a plurality of parallelbus bars havaround the bus bars and completely envolping the same at oneend, the said casing having socket holes in'one side faceextendinginwardly into registration with the respecinsulating material ingrelatively spaced sockets therein, an integralcasing of insulatingmaterial molded tive bus bar sockets, the bus bars being terminatedshort of both casing ends, the casing being provided at the end oppositeto that at which the bus bar ends are completely enveloped with lateralrecesses extending from the adjacentbus bar ends to the face in whichthe socket holes are located, the last mentioned bus bar endsbeingprovided with terminal sockets and lateral threaded openings incommunication therewith, the casing having lateral open-- ings extendingfrom the said bus bar openings to the face through which the recessesopen, and terminal connecting screws engaged within the said bus baropenings and being contained within the lateral openings of the casing.

3. A multiple socket receptacle strip including a plurality of parallelbusbars having relatively spaced sockets therein, an integral casing ofinsulating material molded around the bus bars and completely envolpingthe same at one end, the said casing having socket holes in one sideface extending inwardly into registration with the respective bus barsockets, the bus bars being terminated short of both casing ends, thecasing being provided at the end opposite to that at which the bus barends are completely enveloped with lateral recesses open at the said endof the casing and extending across the adjacent busbar ends to the facein which the socket holes are located, and terminal connectors providedat the last mentioned ends of the bus bars.

4. A multiple socket receptacle strip including a plurality of parallelbus bars having lateral sockets, anintegral casin of insulating materialmolded around t e bus bars and having socketholes extending inwardlyfrom one side face into registration with the respective bus barsockets, and

terminal connectors for the bus'barsembedded within the casing, the saidcasing being provided near one end with a transverse opening locatedmidway between bus bars and spaced therefrom and with longitudinlgrooves in its external faces in registration with the said opening andextending throughthe said end of the casing, and a wire suspending.element extending through the casing opening and bent to fit the saidgrooves, part of the said element being extended beyond the adjacent endof the casing.

Signed at New York in the county of New Yorkand State of New York this20th day of December A. D. 1919. i RANK-w. woon,

